Behind Closed Doors
by misssun1
Summary: What lies behind closed doors? It's up to the CSI to find out. A Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have been brutally murdered, and their roommates are proving to be uncooperative. But no one is free of guilt. Each hold a secret that they'd die to protect. ygo/csi
1. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

The under-paid maid scowled darkly as she rolled the squeaky cleaning cart up to room 389. These were the annoying brats' rooms. Barely a few years over the legal drinking age, yet strutting around as if they owned the place. Sickening. Absolutely sickening. What was worse was that two of them were married, placing them even higher on their annoying 'holier-than-thou-pedestal'. What bullshit. No one who got married that young ever stayed happy. She knew from experience.

She stopped the cart and she draped a pile of sheets across her tubby arms as she pulled her universal key from her apron pocket in preparation for opening the ominous door. The last time she had been forced to clean the room, the bed sheets were completely torn from the bed, red wine was spilled haphazardly across the mattress, a still-lit candles were dripping wax across the dresser, and the bathroom was an absolute nightmare. She braced herself for the mess to come. She opened the door cautiously and the clean sheets slipped from her wrinkly arms. After a few seconds of disbelieving silence, a terrified scream escaped her wrinkly lips.


	2. The Eyes, the Porn, and the Girl

Sara tried to suppress a shudder of disgust as she forced herself to photograph the bodies. This had to be one of the most horrifying homicide cases she had ever been assigned to investigate. The dead bodies were wrapped together in a clumsy embrace; obviously they had been moved post-mortem. Their faces were matching; empty eye sockets surrounded by copious amounts of dried blood, bloody mouths elongate across their cheeks into eerie semblances of smiles, and their midsections brutally stabbed.

The brunette woman managed to note the few differences about the bodies. The woman's throat had been slit as a precaution, but her body had not suffered anymore of the twisted torture. The man had been abused worse; each of his fingers meticulously sliced off and neatly stacked onto the plywood dresser, his legs twisted into odd angles, his private parts shot, and his chest stabbed multiple times.

"Do we know what killed them, Dave?" Sara asked as she knelt beside the assistant coroner.

David glanced up at her wearily. "Take your pick." He gestured to the bodies. "The female looks to like she could have died of blood loss, brain damage from the eyes being removed incorrectly, throat slit, or midsection stabbed. The male could have died from the same things, minus the throat slit. He could have also died from the stab wounds to his chest. Time of death, between 10 and 12 hours ago." Standing up, he sighed. "Call me when you need me. I need some water; I don't feel well after seeing _this_." He left the room with a disgusted look on his face, leaving Sara with the maimed bodies.

Sara glanced around the room, searching for any trace of the murderer. Her eyes were drawn to the two wallets laid reverently on the dresser. She snapped a quick shot, before picking them up with her gloved hands and flipping them open. The leather felt smooth to her fingers. "Tristan Taylor." She glanced at the pink inside of the other wallet. "Tea Taylor." A finger tapped lightly against her shoulder, and her head whipped around in surprise. She let out a sigh of relief as she noted the familiar face. "Hey Grissom."

"Hello Sara." He leaned in closer to the bodies with a grimace, before glancing back at her. "A little bit jumpy, are we?"

Sara swallowed uncomfortably as she shifted her camera into her left hand. "Just a bit. I…" She paused before wincing, "I really haven't seen anything this… well this gory since Saw III. In fact, it looks like this crime scene was pulled right out of a horror movie."

His eyebrow raised the slightest amount. "You watched a Saw movie? Really, Sara. I expected better from you." Grissom chided drily. Sara rolled her eyes as she carefully slipped the wallets into plastic bags.

Nick chuckled lightly as he shimmied out from beneath the cheap hotel bed. "Like you haven't, Grissom. Honestly, who _doesn't_ want to see such a bad movie? That's how it draws you in; it's so terribly unrealistic that it forces you to watch it just so you can laugh at the horrible effects."

Grissom turned to face Nick, a bland look on his face. "Did you find a weapon? I can honestly say that I have not, nor do I want to, see such a horribly produced film."

Nick shrugged, but shook his head. "Nothing. But I did find their eyeballs." He grimaced as he held up a plastic bag with one hand. Before Grissom could say anything, the brunet held up a hand full of paperback books defensively. "Yes, Grissom, I took scale pictures. Yes I put on gloves before touching them. Yes, I did find Japanese hentai underneath the bed. No, I did not read it."

Sara stepped forwards to look at the small, bloodied books he held between loosely his fingers, careful not to touch them with her ungloved hands. "Hentai? What's that?"

Grissom grimaced as he slipped on gloves and picked the book up by the corner. "It's anime porn. Some people find it entertaining. Obviously one, or both, of our victims did." He flipped through the pages and adjusted his glasses.

Sara blushed as she edged away from the grinning Nick. "Grissom? Why are you reading it?"

He glanced up, eyes piercing. "I wanted to see what type it was, and if there was anything else written in it." He pointed a gloved finger at the minute text. "Strangely enough, it's in Japanese, meaning that someone reading this spoke Japanese fairly fluently. It's also man on man sex." He flipped to the back of the book, his eyebrows furrowing. "Nick. Check the inside front covers of those books for writing." He ordered curtly.

Nick shrugged and quickly flipped to the front of the books. He let out a silent whistle. "Damn. Someone must've spent quite a bit of time and effort on these little things." He commented as he laid the open books down on a small clean spot on the bed. Grissom laid his beside the others. Bloody Japanese Kanji was hastily scrawled across the back pages of books.

Sara leaned in close to inspect it. "Is that red ink or…" She trailed off, and pulled a cotton swab and a vial from her pocket. She carefully rubbed the swab across the ruddy script, and dribbled copious amounts of the liquid from the vial onto the stained cotton. It turned neon violet. "It is blood." She stuck the swab back into its container carefully and stepped away from the paperback hentai. "Who… Who would do something like that?"

Nick shrugged. "Whoever it was was pretty fucked up. Did the victims even know that was written in there? Scratch that; how did they even know Japanese?" He squinted at the bodies. "They definitely don't look Japanese."

"Nick, get a translator to look at these. Sara, have you interviewed the maid who found the bodies?" Grissom ordered calmly.

Sara nodded, sending a short glance to the tubby figure wringing her hands outside the door. "Yeah. She doesn't want to go downstairs without an escort. Says the people staying in these rooms are insane." She drawled, vague amusement slipping into her voice. "Anyways, she said she came her to clean. She said that she was apprehensive about going into the room because last time it was a terrible mess. So she grabbed the sheets, opened the door with her universal key, froze, saw the bodies, called nine-one-one after waking up the entire hallway with her screams."

A gentle knock sounded on a door close to the window, and it opened revealing a yawning brunette. "Tea? Tristan? You guys up?" She asked sleepily. Pale hands rubbed her large brown eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. As she blinked, her hands flew to her mouth in fright, her eyes instantly pulled to the bodies lying on the bed. "My god!" She breathed shakily as she collapsed to her knees.

Grissom walked over to her slowly, and the girl glanced up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Miss, how did you get in here?" He asked softly.

The girl sniffled, trying to quench the flow of tears. "Same way everyone in our rooms does. Through this door." She noticed their looks of confusion as he looked through the door. "Oh! You guys thought it was a closet, didn't you. Sorry, our three rooms are adjoined. The fourth one isn't, but it's next door to the third one."

Sara blinked rapidly, obviously flustered. "And, what's your name?"

The girl started as she stood up, hand extended. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean not to introduce myself. Just seeing Tristan and Tea like that..." Her eyes flickered to the bodies and she swallowed queasily, large tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "I'm Serenity Wheeler."

"Well, Miss Wheeler, do you think that you could round up your other roommates and bring them downstairs to the couched area in the entry hall? We're going to need to ask you all some questions, but first we'll need to talk to you as a group." Nick stated calmly.

Serenity nodded. "We were all going to meet downstairs for the breakfast buffet anyways." She snapped her honey eyes shut to avoid glancing at the bodies once more. "I hope you find the murderer. Whoever would do this is…. Well, pardon my language, but they're some sick mother fuckers." She whispered, before glancing up at the detectives. Suddenly her eyes widened in realization, and she blushed deeply. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I forgot I was still in my pajamas!" She tugged down her shorts slightly and backed away to the door. "I'm sorry! We'll probably be down in five minutes." In a hurried movement, she slammed the door connecting the rooms.

"Well…" Sara stared at the door. "I can't say that that has ever happened before."

Grissom sighed. "That means her prints could be mixed with the killer's prints on that door handle now. If I had realized all of these rooms were connected…" He trailed off before shaking his head. "Okay, we'll work with what we've got. Nick, Sara, you talk to the ones downstairs. I'm going back to headquarters to see if we missed anything on the bodies."


	3. Slip of the Tongue

Sara and Nick stood solemnly in the lobby, silently surveying the suspects. There were six of them, all sprawled across the couches. Only two of them looked perfectly comfortable with the situation they were in, merely due to their distraction within each other. Their lips were locked in a passionate kiss, tongues prodding the inside of the others' cheeks. The two agents could hear the satisfied moans from the other side of the lobby.

Nick snorted as he looked at the two making out on the couch. "They look like they're trying to eat each other's faces." He commented bluntly.

Sara smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But I guess boys will be boys." She started towards the little group confidently, hands clutched nervously behind her back. Already this group was making her edgy and she hadn't even met them. Charming.

The boy with multi-colored hair nearly flew out of his seat at the sight of the two officers. He ran over to the two and stopped them in their tracks as he collapsed onto the ground. His violet eyes looked up at them desperately. "Please! Tell not true! Tea isn't really…" He trailed off as tears dribbled down his cheeks.

Sara crouched down beside the short man and rubbed his back soothingly. "I'm sorry, sir, but both of your friends have been murdered." She murmured sadly.

The man sniffed loudly as a flood of tears cascaded down his flushed cheeks. "Can't believe it! Should have been there, defending from that psycho. Instead was downstairs gambling." He moaned bitterly.

A blond man came over and helped his friend up. His face was pale and drawn, as if he weren't sure how to deal with the tragedy. "Yugi, it's not your fault. I know that it doesn't hurt any less, but it is not your fault, ya hear me?"

Yugi sniffed loudly and nodded as he allowed himself to be escorted back to his seat.

The white-haired man broke his kiss with the tanned blond and sneered at Yugi. "Me thinks he doth protest too much, Yugi." He hissed mockingly.

Yugi stood up instantly, cheeks flushed furiously. "Did not kill best friend, Bakura! Would appreciate if keep malicious tongue stuffed down Marik's throat. Know two didn't care for them, but I did!" He snarled furiously at the pale man.

The blond, Marik, smirked as he nuzzled his cheek against the crook of his boyfriend's neck. "I'm sorry Yugi. I'll to improve my technique so Bakura doesn't _want_ to tear his devious tongue away from my mouth." He licked Bakura's cheek. "You taste too sweet to let go that easily." He yanked on Bakura's long white hair, pulling him back into the sloppy kiss.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Interesting metaphor you came up with, Mr. Bakura. Do you mind explaining it to us?"

Seeing that Bakura was currently indisposed, the black haired man answered for him. "He was insinuating that Yugi was acting too innocent and that he murdered Tristan and Tea." He answered dully. His vivid green eyes flashed scornfully for a short second, before reverting back into a tactfully blank stare. "I'm not sure that I want cops who can't properly comprehend a simple tactless remark by a certified idiot, working on the murder case of one of my friends."

"One of your friends?" Sara prodded.

Green eyes flickered to the blond with Yugi before he nodded curtly. "Yes. Just one of my friends."

Sara sighed as Nick glanced down at his clipboard. "Alright. And you would be Mr…?"

His voice was as bland as his eyes. "Devlin. Duke Devlin"

"I suppose we should all introduce ourselves properly, am I right?" A soft voice sounded from the woman beside Duke. A spark of happiness seemed to pass through the man's green eyes, before it was swallowed up by the previous gloom.

Sara nodded and smiled politely. "It would be helpful."

Serenity returned the smile sadly. "Well, you already know me from early. I'm Serenity Wheeler. The blond at the end of the couch is my brother, Joey Wheeler."

Joey gave a lifeless wave.

"I'm Yugi Muto." The teary-eyed man beside Joey murmured.

Duke rolled his eyes as he distractedly yanked on his dice earring. "The two idiots making out are Marik Ishtar and Ryou Bakura. Ryou is the semi-impolite bastard who made the provocative comment about Yugi."

Nick nodded as he pointed to himself. "I'm Nick Stokes, and she's Sara Sidle. We're some of the officers investigating the homicide case."

At the blunt statement, Yugi's small frame was wracked with crushing sobs. Nick winced. "Oops." He mouthed silently to himself.

Sara cut in, attempting not to offend the six anymore. "We're going to need to interrogate you all separately to see what you can tell us about the case."

Serenity's eyes widened. "You think one of us could be the murderer?"

Sara was saved from answering as a busty blonde shoved her out of the way and collapsed onto her knees in front of the six. "I'm sorry I'm so late. It took me a while to get back! I didn't mean to worry you guys!... Wait, why are you all waiting in the lobby for me?" She glanced back at the ruffled Sara and the amused Nick. "And who the hell are those guys?"

No one seemed willing to answer her question. Suddenly, Marik pulled out of his kiss with Bakura and glared disdainfully down at the blonde woman. "Since you seemed to have missed the action, my dear, I suppose it is our duty to fill you in." He sneered.

She shot a glare right back at him. "What pole is stuck up your ass this morning, hmm, Ishtar?"

Bakura rolled his eyes as he snapped his fingers impatiently. "Stop toying with her and tell the stupid slut what she wants to know already. I'm getting old here." He ordered sharply.

Marik shot a smiled at his lover, which instantly dissolved back into his customary sneer as he looked down at Mai. "Well, my dear, you have missed out on a lot. If you hadn't been fucking some random person last night, you might've saved Thing 1 and Thing 2."

Mai's violet eyes widened. "Saved? What happened to Tea and Tristan, Marik? Tell me!" She demanded shakily, ignoring the jibe at her integrity as her calmness shattered.

"They're dead. The two idiots have finally passed out of the world of the living. There must really be a god." Bakura spat disdainfully, before forcefully covering Marik's lips with his own once more.

Mai laughed nervously as she looked at the solemn faces of the others. "Haha. F-Funny joke guys, you really had me worried. Were all of you in on it?" She asked weakly. Her eyes shifted from the crying Yugi to the downcast Duke. A hand slid onto her shoulder and she whirled around to face the owner.

"Ma'am, what your friends said is true. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are dead. They were found at approximately 8:32 this morning in their room." Nick stated quietly.

A tear slid from the corner of Mai's eye, but she shook it away and stood up, flicking her curly hair over her shoulders. "I'm not going to cry. It's not what Tristan would've wanted. He always said that he liked how strong I am. I'm not going to let him down." She murmured to herself. When she turned to face her friends, an obviously fake smile was plastered onto her face. "Well, I suppose we'll need to go to their headquarters to be interrogated. Who wants to ride in my convertible?" She offered, her voice overly cheerful.

Sara shook her head. "I'm sorry, but its protocol. You all must ride in our escort vehicles. When we reach the station, we will separate you to be interrogated. Those remaining will be waiting under guard until they are escorted into the interrogation room."

Mai smiled. "It sounds wonderful. But…" She trailed off and glanced at her friends. "May I have a moment with them, please? They all are quite shaken, and I think that I may need to remind them about their manners."

Nick glanced at Sara, before nodding. "Sure. You have two minutes."

Mai nodded curtly before walking to her friends and leaning forwards. The group seemed to gravitate away from Bakura and Marik.

"Huh. It seems like they're having some sort of conference. You would think that Bakura and Marik would be the ones that this Mai would want to put the most manners into. After all, they have appeared to be the rudest out of the seven." Nick commented softly.

Sara's eyes narrowed. "So you think that they aren't just having a conversation on politeness?"

Nick frowned. "Hell no."

_

* * *

_

Mai quickly signaled them over to the couch furthest away from Bakura and Marik, as she glanced warily at the officers. She pulled their heads in close and began whispering rapidly. "Okay, I know that we all don't have the best pasts with each other or with Tristan and Tea. But, we can't just let these idiots blunder in and expose all of our secrets, now can we?" She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

Joey shook his shaggy hair vehemently. "Definitely not. But how do we get rid of them? They'll be digging around everywhere now that those idiots got themselves killed."

Yugi's hard eyes flickered to Bakura and Marik, all traces of tears gone. "Nudge towards Marik and Bakura. Don't know if bastards actually murdered, or if else did, but will be the easiest to pin the blame on, especially with history."

Duke sighed and nodded. "I suppose you mean we bring up their-." He made a swirling motion with his finger beside his head.

The short man nodded. "Exactly. It will completely distract from, making easier to go free."

Serenity bit her lip nervously. "Guys, what have those two ever done to us, though? Sure, they can be annoying pricks, but does that mean we have to say they murdered someone? Especially since we're using their mental conditions to their disadvantage." She protested weakly.

Duke kissed her softly on the forehead. "Serenity, baby, we all just want to be safe. Besides, I'd bet Joey's life that they were the ones who murdered Tea and Tristan anyways. We're just giving the police a push in the right direction." He murmured smoothly.

Suddenly, Mai started talking loudly. "Remember, guys, be on your best behavior around the officers. They are nice people, and they want to know just as much as we do who killed our friends!"

Yugi nodded, the tears returning to his wide eyes. "Absolutely right, Mai. N...need to know. Need to know would do that to such a nice couple."

Sara paused her steps in slight confusion, but shook it off before shaking Joey's shoulder. "If you don't mind, we need to leave. Half of you follow Nick, half of you follow me." She indicated towards the kissing couple. "Can somebody get them apart and tell them what's going on?"

The group glanced at each other nervously. "Erm… The last time someone broke into one of their kisses, they were sent to the ER because of two broken arms and a bloodied and broken nose." Serenity piped softly.

The kissing couple suddenly stopped and rolled their eyes at their companions. "Honestly, you guys make it seem like we're the bad guys." Bakura complained as Marik stood up, leaving him to wrap his legs around his waist and arms around his neck.

"That jerk yanked on our hair to pull us apart and then gave us both black eyes and split lips. Tristan Taylor deserved everything we gave to him, and more." Marik snapped harshly.

* * *

Huh. I sense a teansy bit of anger from Marik. Is he just mad at the world, or at Tristan Taylor in particular? This answer and more next week, on Behind Closed Doors. ^-^


	4. Empty Answers

"Okay, Al, what do you have for me?" Grissom asked the coroner.

Dr. Robbins crossed his arms, after pulling the sheet away from Tea's body. "This one, she sustained less damage than the male. She has her eyes gauged out, a scalped head, a stabbed stomach, a smile carved onto her face, and her throat slit." He pointed to strange bruising around the area where the throat was messily cut. "These bruises, however, are not normal. If you pull the skin together, you can see," He pulled the cut skin together to make it look unblemished, save the large patches of bruising, "this."

Grissom raised an eyebrow as he leaned in closer to inspect it. "Bruises in the shape of hands. Someone strangled her." He cocked his head to the side as he mentally measured the two bruises. "There's a difference between the size of the hands. Even at the angles the hands were held, the size wouldn't appear that different."

Robbins nodded. "Exactly. Your killer either has one hand a bit larger than the other, or it was two killers." He pointed to the area around her mouth. "She was also gagged before her mouth was slit open. There's a small thread here that you might want to check. It seems like they cut the mouths post-mortem." He pulled out the string with tweezers and slipped it into a plastic bag, handing it to Grissom.

Grissom glanced at the other covered body. "And Mr. Taylor?"

Robbins hobbled over to the man and removed the sheet from him as well. "He got all of his fingers chopped off, legs broken, was stabbed in the lung, shot in the testicles, was scalped, had a carved in smile, and had his throat slit.

"Someone really didn't like him." Grissom commented dryly.

Robbins nodded. "Yeah. Whoever it was had took the time to torture both of them, get out unseen, and clean up." He glanced at Grissom. "Have you found the murder weapon?"

Grissom shook his head. "No knives around, haven't found a gun yet, and there were no gags. No footprints, no hair… the trail just seems to end cold. It seems that in this case, only bad blood will tell."

Robbins raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Is there really nothing in the hotel room to even lead to anyone else?"

The detective sighed. "Nothing. We haven't gotten around to fingerprinting the two entrances to the room, nor have we gotten to see the hotel footage. Sara and Nick are going to work on that after we finish the interviews. The hotel owner is an extremely stubborn man it seems."

Robbins shook his head. "What some men do. Well, good luck on the case. I'm sure you'll find something. After all, you guys are the best in the business."

* * *

Nick watched Joey fidget nervously. It was like he had something to hide. Strange. "So Mr. Wheeler-"

"Call me Joey. Mr. Wheeler's my father." He interrupted adamantly.

Nick nodded his head. "Fair enough. So Joey, can you tell me where you were last night?"

Joey shrugged and leaned back into his chair, looking up at the blank ceiling. "I was downstairs gambling with Yugi. Yugi's extremely lucky; I thought maybe his luck would rub off on me." He smiled wryly. "It didn't. I was losing everything. But when I came up to my room at about… eh, about midnight, there was nothing wrong. I went to my room, took a shower, and went to sleep."

"Who were your room mates?" The officer asked as he pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Uh… I had Duke, who we never saw much 'cause he was always with Serenity, and Yugi, who was almost always out gambling or drinking." He paused for a moment, but then continued. "Our room was next to Marik and Bakura, but it wasn't connected. Most of us tried to stay out of our room when they were in theirs, if you know what I mean."

Nick smirked and nodded. "Yeah, I get it. How did everyone feel about their relationship?"

A small smirk presented itself onto his face as he crossed his arms. "Now you're asking the right questions, officer. Serenity and Mai were in a room connected to both Bakura and Marik, and Tea and Tristan. They didn't mind their relationship at all, in fact, Mai paid them so she could have pictures to post and sell on the Internet. Serenity…" His face dropped slightly, but the smirk returned full force after a second. "Serenity is the nicest girl that I know, and I'm glad that she's my sister. She didn't mind at all, bless her soul. She has the mind and body of a saint, and she thought that love was love, no matter which genders it was between."

"You mentioned that those six had adjoining rooms, correct? I'm guessing the noises traveled really easily through there." Nick commented as he scribbled something down.

Joey's smirk grew to envelop his entire mouth. "Yeah, it definitely did. Ya see, Tristan and Tea are… were, homophobes. Let's just say that they didn't… _approve_, of Bakura and Marik's relationship. Whenever the four were in the same room, it always erupted into screaming matches and us getting kicked out of wherever we were for," His hands fluidly flew into air quotation marks, "'disturbing the peace of our fellow guests', and all that shit." He snorted disdainfully. "Those four had gotten us kicked out of three hotels to date, and I'm guessing that we'll be kicked out of this one after the investigation is finished."

The officer nodded distractedly as he finished a line with a flourish. "Uh-_huh_. Where does everyone live?"

"Let's see… umm, everyone lives in Domino city." Joey cracked his knuckles. "Do you want to know where everyone used to live?"

"Sure." Nick muttered as he added another bullet point to his notes. "Exact locations would be nice."

The blond rolled his eyes, but dutifully began listing his companions off on his fingers. "Serenity used to live in Veridian, California, but moved in with me so she could be closer to Duke. I've lived in Domino City, California all of my life. Same with Tristan. Duke moved there 16 years ago from Cancun. Yugi moved to Domino about 13 years ago, from some small city in Japan, believe it or not. Always got picked on because of his height and hair." He shifted nervously, but continued. "Tea moved here about a year later, and it turns out her and Yugi were old friends from Japan. Bakura moved here about 10 years ago from London, but he was always quiet so we never paid attention to him." Joey frowned as he curled his fingers into a fist. "And then Malik moved in from Cairo. Fucked everything up for everyone as soon as he came, 'cept for Bakura. They were to busy competing with each other to ever pay attention to the devastation they caused. The city was in ruins thanks to him and Whitey, and they just kept on laughing their way into their straight jackets."

Nick finished his hastily scrawled notes and glanced up. "Mr. Whe-, Joey, do you own a gun?"

Joey raised an eyebrow, but nodded suspiciously. "Yeah, why?"

Nick leaned forwards and slid a picture of Tea and Tristan forwards. He pointed down to Tristan's groin. "It is very strange to shoot someone in the testicles, but then kill them without shooting a gun, is it not?"

The blond clenched his fists together. "Are you accusing me of helping with the murder of Tristan and Tea?"

Nick raised his hands defensively. "Hey, hey. Calm down buddy. We're trying to clear your name. We're going to be asking everybody that question, not just you."

"A Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol." He snapped with a frown.

Nick wrote down the type and stood up with a small smile. "Thank you for being so cooperative, Joey. We'll get back to you with the results."

* * *

hmm. Suspicious. Very suspicious. What will happen next? Tell me who you think the murderer is. Hopefully, it won't be too painfully obvious.


	5. Sweet and Sour Slop

Brass crossed his arms, trying to suppress his twitching eyebrow. The black-haired youth had been silently glaring at him for the past four minutes. One had to appreciate his determination for remaining silent. The older man sighed and scooted his chair closer to the table. "Mr. Devlin, we just want answers. Answer the questions truthfully, and we will let you and your little friends go without anymore prying. Unless one of you, of course, is the murderer."

A sneer presented itself on the vain man's mouth. "Aren't you a little old to be doing police work, Jim? Why don't you let the real cops do their job and take a wheelchair down to the retirees' home?"

"And why don't you keep that sharp tongue of yours quiet until we ask you a question?" Brass replied smoothly, trying to ignore the use of his first name. How had the brat even figured that out?

"It's on your nametag beside your badge, you senile, degrading, old geezer. I'm not as stupid as the rest of the populace you've interrogated." Duke retorted sharply.

Brass ignored the rude comment, opting to thread his fingers together, leaning forwards onto his elbows. "Well, that's good then, Mr. Devlin. If you are as smart of a boy as you say you are, you can answer some questions for us. Where were you last night?"

Duke's mouth twitched. "With my girlfriend, Serenity. I'm thinking about proposing her once we get home, so I figure that I should protect her and spend as much time as possible with her without her stupid brother Joey interrupting. We were out on the strip checking out all of the shops and stuff. Around 10:45, I took her to her room because she was feeling tired and went back downstairs to talk to Joey. Then at around 11, I went down to the bar. After gambling and drinking for a while, I went back up to my room around midnight, and went to sleep."

"What's with the earring? Isn't it a bit heavy?" Brass pointed to the dice dangling from the man's ear.

Duke smirked. "It's the dice that decided if I should've asked Serenity out or not. Odd numbers were a 'hell yeah', evens were 'she's going to reject you and you'll make a fool out of yourself'. I rolled an odd, and that was one of the happiest days of my life. Figured maybe if I kept it around, I'd keep being lucky."

Brass snorted. "Cute story, Mr. Devlin. Now tell me, why don't you seem that sad about your friends' deaths? You didn't even get a bit teary when our officers told you that two of your companions had been murdered the previous night. Care to explain that?"

The green eyes flashed dangerously. "Never call that bastard my friend. Tristan and I have had our differences, and I don't respect him for his views at all. Tea and I… well, after she married Tristan, our friendship rolled down hill quickly."

"Did you happen to like Mrs. Taylor as more than just a friend?" The older man inquired.

Duke rolled his bitter emerald eyes. "Of course that's the first conclusion you jump to. _No_, I did not like Tea in the romantic sense. She was too loud, preppy, annoying, and she could be a real bitch when she put her mind to it. She used to be my friend though."

"So what were the disagreements you and Mr. Taylor were unable to see eye-to-eye on?" Brass asked smoothly.

The man shrugged. "Serenity, the treatment of women, homophobia, and of course the big one, mental illnesses."

Brass raised an eyebrow. "Mental illnesses?"

"Didn't you know? Bakura, Marik, and Yugi all have mental illnesses. I know Yugi is bipolar, but I'm not sure about the other two. Bakura and Marik already visited the institute instead of going to prison for their last crime spree. The only reason they got out so quickly was because they were minors, so the law couldn't hold them for long. Also, Malik is notorious for smooth talking his way out of almost anything." Duke answered silkily.

"I wasn't aware that they committed any crimes." The officer stated bluntly.

"Check the juvie records in California. Their little crime spree was against Kaiba corp and Yugi in Domino City. In fact, I don't even know why Yugi forgave them after they tried to kill him. Kaiba certainly didn't."

Brass nodded. "Right. We'll check that out then." He glanced at the window, before looking back at Duke. "Mr. Devlin, do you own a gun?"

Duke nodded. "Yeah, but it's back home in Domino. I didn't bring it with me because Serenity doesn't like guns." He grinned wryly. "That girl can be scary when she wants to be. Told me that I better not bring a gun, or there'd be hell to pay."

"Does anyone else in your party have guns?" The police officer asked smoothly.

Duke sneered. "If you must know, the only person who has a gun is Joey, but that's because he is…" He paused suddenly, seeming to rethink what he was going to say. "…he's extremely protective of his sister. He even researched the crime statistics and areas in Vegas and told us the times that it would be safer to go out and where we shouldn't go. Hell, he forced Serenity take self-defense classes before she came here." His eyes became downcast as he looked down at his shoes. "Even those didn't help." He whispered near inaudibly.

* * *

"Hello, Mrs. Wheeler. How are you feeling?" Sara asked politely as she organized her stack of papers.

Serenity smiled slightly. "Please, just call me Serenity. And I'm doing…" She glanced down at her hands mournfully. "I suppose I'm doing the best that I can after… well, after you know." She looked up at Sara, eyes over bright. "How are you doing?"

Sara nodded sadly. "I'm doing fine. And I'll try to make the questionings go as quick and easy as possible, okay?"

The brunette nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Sidle."

"Where did you meet Mr. and Mrs. Taylor?" Sara asked quietly.

Serenity looked down at her feet. "Joey and Tristan were childhood friends. Our parents got divorced when I was eight, so I didn't see Joey again until I was fourteen and he was sixteen. I met all of his friends, and most of us have stayed close. Joey was still best friends with Tristan and Yugi became his best friend, sort of friends with Duke, Mai, and Tea, and-" She grimaced slightly, "He was acquaintances with Bakura."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Acquaintances?"

Serenity sighed and nodded. "Bakura's… well he's extremely hard to get along with. He has some mental problems that really put strain on any type of friendship. It got way better when he met Marik. They were too obsessed with each other for their mental problems to act out."

Sara blinked as she crossed her arms and leaned back. "_Their_ mental problems? Serenity, how many of your friends have mental problems?"

Serenity bit her lip before speaking hesitantly. "Bakura and Marik suffered from some complicated thing that only they and Yugi really understand, Yugi is bipolar, and Tristan has… had, anger management problems."

"Okay, so after all of these years, tell me who is friends with who still?" Sara asked with a sigh.

"Yugi, Joey, and Duke are best friends. That's why they were sharing a room. Mai and I are best friends. Duke is my boyfriend, and I'm friends with Yugi, Bakura, and Tea, and Joey is my friend and brother. Bakura and Marik got engaged last night, and are sort of friends with me, and Duke. They're best friends with Mai. Tristan and Tea are married, and Tea is friends with Yugi, Joey, Duke, and I. Tristan is only sort of friends with Joey." She sighed and took a deep breath. "I suppose you want me to tell you who hates each other as well."

Sara nodded and smiled. "That would be useful."

"Yugi was in love with Tea, so he doesn't like Tristan for marrying her. Joey hates Tristan for something that happened recently on the trip. Duke hates Tristan because he and him are always arguing about morals, and they still sometimes argue about me. Bakura and Marik loath Tea and Tristan for calling them fags all of the time and trying to call the cops on them and get them committed to another institute. Mai hates Tea for calling her a whore, but she likes Tristan." Her eyes shifted nervously. "Tristan and I had an argument two nights ago, and I didn't like him." She glanced up at Sara, but continued. "Joey doesn't really like Marik and Bakura because he thinks they're a bad influence on me. And that's about it."

"I'm guessing that your brother and Mr. Taylor got in an argument when he heard about you and Mr. Taylor getting in an argument, am I correct?" Serenity nodded stiffly and Sara pushed her hair back with a long sigh. "Thank you for being so informative, Serenity. I just have one more question, and then you can go sit with the rest of your friends. Okay?"

Serentiy nodded slowly. "That's fine, Ms. Sidle."

"Serenity, do you own a gun?"

Serenity's eyes widened as she shook her head vehemently. "No! Guns are terrible, and evil, and vile…. And…. Well, I just think that guns shouldn't exist." A small frown creased her lips. "Duke and Joey both have guns. I think Tristan also. I managed to convince Duke not to bring his, but Joey…" She sighed despairingly; "my brother is a lot more stubborn then me, especially if he thinks he's doing something for the right reason."

Sara smiled slightly. Many of the members of the CSI teams had that same stubborn streak. Not always beneficial, but still there. "Thank you for answering the questions. It is a refreshing change in pace from the people I normally have to deal with."

"You're welcome." Serenity murmured shyly before running out the room, past Nick and Brass.

The two officers walked in as Sara gave yet another sigh. "God. These people are so complicated." She groaned irately.

"Tell me about it." Nick quipped as he sat down in the chair beside his friend.

Sara rolled her eyes. "The basic idea is that Mr. Taylor was hated by everybody, Mrs. Taylor was loved by everybody besides Marik, Bakura, and Ms. Valentine, and that Marik, Bakura, Mr. Muto, and Mr. Taylor all have –or had-, mental problems. Marik and Bakura's, she didn't know about, but Mr. Muto is bipolar, and Mr. Taylor had anger management problems." She sighed as she toyed with a lock of hair. "Also, Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor just recently had a fight on this trip after Ms. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor had a big fight. Oh yes, and that Bakura and Marik got engaged last night." She gave a strained smile to the two men. "What do you two have?"

Nick shifted comfortably into his chair. "I got that Joey owns a gun. Three of the rooms were adjoined; Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were connected to Ms. Valentine and Ms. Wheeler, who were connected to Bakura and Marik. Apparently, Bakura and Marik were not quiet about their love, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were homophobes. Even though one of them kept a stash of gay Japanese hentai beneath their bed. Both Tea and Yugi are Japanese, so that may explain it. Apparently, Joey thinks that Bakura and Malik messed everything up for everyone in Domino once Malik flew in from Cairo, Egypt. Devlin's from Cancun, and everyone else is a native to this 'Domino City' California." He glanced at Brass. "You get anything interesting?"

Brass nodded. "According to the brat, Bakura and Marik have both visited a mental institute after crimes against Kaiba corp., and Mr. Muto. They got let out recently because they were juvies. I haven't checked the records yet, so he could be lying. Apparently, Bakura and Marik both have complicated mental conditions that we should either ask Mr. Muto or them about." He rolled his eyes. "Also, Mr. Devlin hated Mr. Taylor with a passion and was no longer friends with Mrs. Taylor." A frown creased his forehead. "He mentioned something about Serenity taking self-defense classes, but it not helping. After that, he clammed up. Couldn't get anything else out of him besides insults, so I let him leave."

Sara leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "Huh. Y'know, Serenity mentioned getting in a fight with Mr. Taylor, and her brother getting extremely angry about that. Do you think Tristan may have hurt her?"

Nick glanced at the other two officers. "Maybe, but I don't know about you, but I find it strange how all three of them bring up Marik and Bakura along with their mental illnesses. Just how messed up are those two?"

Sara sighed. "Only one way to find out. Grissom is taking Marik in a moment and I'm taking Bakura. Who do you guys want?"

"I'll take Mr. Muto. After all, Mr. Devlin did mention that Mr. Muto understood Bakura and Marik's mental illnesses." Brass volunteered.

Nick nodded, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Alright then, I get the pretty Ms. Valentine then." He stood up and stretched before walking out the door. "Goodluck."

Brass shook his head and smiled softly. "I swear. Sometimes, that boy…" He sighed and left the room.

Sara rubbed her temples soothingly. Hopefully, Bakura would be cooperative. Doubtful.

The door open and she glanced over as Bakura strode in as if he owned the examination room. She smiled in what she hoped to be a friendly manner. The smile disappeared faster than a piece of chocolate sitting beside a PMSing woman as a smug Malik followed the albino in. "What is going on here? Only one of you can be questioned at a time." She demanded as Bakura sat down on Malik's lap.

Bakura merely gave her a cocky smile. "He's my lawyer." He replied confidently.

* * *

You have to love how much of an asshole Bakura can be. This chapter was longer than the others, so be happy! I'm trying to get this story out as soon as possible so I can get this stupid plot bunny out of my head and finish up the next Onepiece/ygo chapters. Anyways, keep on reviewing with your thoughts, comments, complaints, etc. please.


	6. First to the Finish

"Hello Mr. Muto. I just have a few quick questions, and then you can return to your friends." Brass said amiably, a small smile present on his face. Finally, he was given cooperative suspect; the boy couldn't be more than 14 and had an innocent air about him. After Mr. Devlin, he had barely been suppressing the urge to strangle someone. "Where were you from eight to twelve last night?"

"Hello Mr. Brass." The boy snorted and rolled his eyes. "Poker tables. Won thousands of dollars. Banned from tables, moved to slot machines."

Brass's smile disappeared. "Mr. Muto, do you even want to be here?"

"What a great question, Mr. Brass! No wonder a police officer." Yugi cheered sarcastically. After a second, his lip began to quiver, a few tears leaking from his eyes. "Really do want to be here, Mr. Brass. Want to… no, _need_ to find out killed Tea." He murmured, eyes averted to his feet.

Brass raised an eyebrow. "Only Mrs. Taylor? I was under the impression that Mr. Taylor used to be your friend. What changed?"

Yugi sneered, an expression unfitting for his innocent features. "What happened? What happened, asked?" He growled, teeth barred at the wall. "Stupid fucker found out that was bi. 'Course instantly destroyed friendship. Need to yell at Kaiba for that, by the way."

"Why would you need to yell at Kaiba?" The police officer asked calmly.

"Because had sex while crushing on Tea. Realized that didn't really like him, so Kaiba told the homophobe of group that got fucked by and enjoyed it." Yugi sniffled, wiping his nose on his arm. "_Did_ like. Just not how liked Tea. Besides, was still a teenager. Hadn't figured out what was yet, especially with Tristan's views restraining."

"You say that Mr. Taylor's views were restraining you. Did he express his views on homosexuality before or after Mr. Ishtar and Bakura came to be in a relationship?" Brass inquired, folding his hands together.

Yugi snorted and rolled his eyes, face clear once more. "What a question. But suppose does make sense." He shrugged, finally looking Brass in the eyes. "Before, showed some disgust around gay couples, but nothing like when Bakura and Marik got together." His round eyes narrowed angrily. "If hadn't been such sluts, may have grown a bit more tolerant of it. But _no_. Had to make all of these crude sex jokes, and actions, and act like the type of gay person Tristan hated. Which ended in hating _all_ gay people. Which led to hating _me_."

"Can you tell me about Mr. Ishtar and Bakura's mental illnesses?"

Yugi stood up and knocked his chair over, furious snarl etched on his features. "It's always about them, isn't it? Even after forgave those stupid fuckers for nearly _killing_, continue to steal the stage. God, no one even likes, but somehow still hang out with! Give the rest a bad name."

"Mr. Muto, answer the question." Brass ordered calmly.

Yugi sniffed as he leaned against the table, enraged tears pouring from his eyes. "Fine. If want to hear about, then fine." He looked up to the ceiling, wiping his tears from his face. "Both have D.I.D. Dissociative Identity Disorder. Basically, like schizophrenia, except the little voices take over. Have Ryou and Bakura, and Malik and Marik. Ryou and Malik are in love with each other, Malik and Bakura are constantly vying for attention, Ryou and Marik-" He snorted, "well, Ryou's deathly afraid of Marik, and Bakura and Marik are in love. Long story short, fell in love in the loony bin and got out 24 _years_ early." He noticed Brass's look of confusion, and smirked bitterly. "Exactly. Not months, but years. After theft, car-jacking, torture, vandalism, 3 murders, and the attempted murders of Kaiba and I, were shoved in the nut house for three years and managed to talk way out of the other 24 were supposed to serve. If haven't noticed, still a bit bitter about that."

"Do you know why they were let out early?"

"Couple years back there was a big publicity thing about Harvard Law School accepting a former psycho. Or something along those lines. Either way, would probably have the details in there. According to Joey, when saw paper, fainted. Heard that Kaiba tried to sue _Harvard Law Schoo_l for accepting. Harvard-fucking-Law School. Case got pretty high up because of all of the press coverage, but finally the Harvard representatives beat Kaiba in the legal battle. A bit sore 'bout that still. Probably shouldn't bring it up if have the displeasure of meeting."

"I know you don't like talking about them, but do you think you could describe Ryou, Bakura, Malik, and Marik?"

Yugi let out a disgusted sigh, but nodded. "Ryou is really nice. Very philosophical, and the only one of them can stand. Not out very often because a pushover, according to Bakura. Malik, pretty whiny, but extremely manipulative and sly. Most likely got nut-house sentence reduced to 3 effing years, and graduated law school at the top of his class. According to Ryou, very romantic though; do anything to make Ryou happy." The boy began to glare at the wall with unconcealed dislike. "Bakura is a badass fucktard who gets angry really easily. Not very logical, but extremely opinionated and loud. Steals stuff for the adreneline rush and money. Bit of a pyro. Marik, cruel, and also probably the most mentally unstable. A klepto. Has an extremely dominating personality; sort of takes up the room. According to Ryou, a good cook, despite all of that." Yugi snorted, a small smirk crawling across his lips. "For all of smooth talking, Malik is apparently a terrible cook. Only thing can make is quesadillas in the microwave, but even that managed to burn. Bakura's blown up an oven, and Ryou can only make cereal and canned soup. Don't know how Marik would be good at cooking; an impatient asshole. Figured just torch it all and force Ryou to cook."

"Mr. Muto, you've made it clear that you had a problem with Mr. Taylor. But tell me about Mrs. Taylor." Brass prompted.

His face dropped, tears falling from his lavender orbs in thick clumps. "I loved Tea." He whispered, before wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. He sniffled slightly and looked up at Brass. "That bastard shouldn't've gotten." Kicking the edge of the table dejectedly, he continued. "Met when were 11. Love at first sight, for me at least. Was so beautiful, and kind, and caring, and loving…. was amazing." Yugi winced sharply. "Year later, Grandpa moved to Domino, California. 'Cause was legal guardian, had to go with." A sad smile crept onto his face. "Tea moved to Domino year later because family. Lived few blocks away, even better friends. Then met Tristan and began to hang out with. Didn't notice at first, but stared at each other longer. Began holding hands. Then asked out. Pretended happy so Tea not upset. Lost self in Kaiba, then lost friendship of Tristan. Tea still talked to, but not around Tristan so not offend. Bakura and Marik tried to kill. Sent them to jail." A particularly strong kick. "Two years later got married. Unfair. Didn't deserve. Is- _was_ too kind-hearted."

"When was the last time you saw Mr. and Mrs. Taylor alive?"

Yugi shrugged. "Stormed out of the posh restaurant last night after dinner. Left without paying the check. Paid for Tea, drew straws to pay for Tristan, Duke lost. Doesn't like Tristan or Tea." He corrected sadly. With a sigh, he leaned against his arm. "Are done here? Tired of being interviewed."

Brass's eyebrows knitted together as he leaned forwards, inspecting Yugi's arm. "Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose, Mr. Muto?" He pointed towards the subtle slash marks lacing across the boy's arms.

Yugi jumped as if stung and adjusted his arms so the cut marks were no longer visible to the officer. "S'fine. Some of from when Marik and Bakura torturing me. Other from stupidity and nail marks." He excused quickly, before standing. He met the other's eyes, violet orbs overflowing with conflicting emotions. "Find who killed Tea, Mr. Brass. Can promise if find first, will be charged with first degree murder."

* * *

Nick leaned back, subtly running his eyes along the woman's curvaceous figure. It was understandable that she would be out all night in Vegas, with a body like that.

An eyebrow rose into an elegant arch. "You know, if you want to check me out, you could just ask me to stand up." The blonde stated suggestively.

The officer nearly winced. Maybe not so subtle. He quickly composed himself, shooting the woman a lazy smile. "That's not what you're here for, Ms. Valentine. We want to know about Mr. and Mrs. Taylor."

Her lips pursed into a pout as she began to twirl her hair around a finger. "But that's no fun. Who wants to talk about a drab ol' murder? Anyways, just call me Mai." She leaned forwards over the table, giving Nick an excellent view of her cleavage. "It's much more… intimate that way." She purred huskily.

It was Nick's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Drab?" He retorted drily, leaning back in his seat.

The woman shrugged with a resigned smirk, returning to her previous position. "I suppose not drab. Just not as inventive as the murders Bakura and Marik committed nearly a decade back. This was a lot more gory and had less of an artistic…" She mimed an explosion, "flair."

"We aren't here to talk about Bakura and Marik either. We've already been informed of their involvement in several crimes in the past years, Ms. Mai. What I want to know is what the group of you did last night." Nick replied firmly.

Mai snorted in disgust as she crossed her arms. "Fine, if you want to play it that way. I was trying to make things as comfortable as possible." Her voice lost its sensual quality, her arrogant personality rearing its head. "Last night was pretty eventful. See, the Ishtar's and the Bakura's, and the Taylor's had made a tradition of going to the most expensive restaurants possible, treating the rest of us, and leaving the other group to flounder with their own check. This night was the Ishtar's night to pay." She sighed, a dreamlike smile slipping onto her plump lips. "He took us all to the Joël Robuchon that night. It was absolutely spectacular, the food was amazing, the chefs had hot accents…" She paused, the corner of her mouth twitching in dissatisfaction. "Tristan and Tea were also there, because he had already reserved a table including seats for them, and Tea really wanted to go even though it would cost Tristan." She explained quickly, wanting to skip over that part. "Anyways, after all of the main courses, we all ordered from the most amazing dessert cart ever invented." She began to blush, biting her perfectly manicured fingernail. "While Bakura was finishing off his dessert wine, Marik knelt onto the ground and pulled out an absolutely gorgeous engagement ring, and asked Bakura to marry him. Bakura blushed and began to stutter. He almost choked." Mai giggled. "_That_ Bakura wouldn't be caught dead blushing or stuttering." Her face morphed into a frown. "Before Bakura could answer, Tristan stood up, knocking his chair over, called them a bunch of fags, told them that they'd rot in hell with the rest of their homo fuck buddies, and stormed off, pulling a protesting Tea with him." She shrugged leaning back into her chair. "And that's the last I saw of them alive."

Nick nodded, before glancing at his notes. "Ms. Mai, all of your companions have complained about Mr. Taylor's adverse reactions to homosexuality. No one has said anything firm about Mrs. Taylor. Can you vouch for her?"

Mai snorted, before erupting into peals of laughter. "Tea? A homophobe?" She wiped the corner of her eyes, smile refusing to leave her face. "Hun, that's like saying that Ryou's straight. Tea was in love with gay boys. Said something about yaoi being absolutely kawaii, or some Japanese crap like that. She tried to pay them to get pictures of them having sex. They laughed, and slammed the door on her. She came to me, asked me, and I gave her some. I think Yugi was also giving her some Japanese comic book porn, but don't quote me on that." She shook her head before licking her lips. "Anyways, the short answer is no, Tea is… was not a homophobe."

Nick sighed deeply, before continuing. "Okay, can you tell me where you were last night?"

Mai shrugged as she leaned back into her seat. "Just out on the strip, gambling and flirting."

"Can you remember any names?" The officer prodded persistently.

Mai paused, biting her lip inconspicuously. "Um…" Her eyebrow twitched slightly. "I was over in the Dragon's Lair. I got caught up in the slots and became tired; I sure as hell didn't want to be a tourist in Vegas in the after hours, so I fell asleep on the couch. About seven, the manager came over and told me to move my fucking ass before he called the police." She shrugged. "I bee-lined out of there as quickly as I could, and came back to the hotel. And this is where I ended up."

* * *

Who wants to know about the manager of the Dragon's Lair? *yeah!* Who wants to know who killed Tristan? *crickets chirp* -_-' Okay, who wants to know who killed Tea? *One person cautiously raises hand, then gets beaten down with a stick by the rest of the crowd.*....oookayy. Anyways, you won't get to learn about any of that in the next chapter! Next chapter, the Ishtar's and the Bakura's are interviewed. Review if you have any questions!

* * *


	7. Psychotic Psychoanalysis

Sara frowned. Even Grissom looked slightly annoyed. Ryou had been 'persuaded' by Malik to draw up a contract with him while they were in the waiting room, appointing the Egyptian as his lawyer. Meaning they would be interrogated together at first, and then Malik would be interrogated by himself later. Even so, it would make it that much more difficult to identify the correct information.

Grissom began to speak. "So Mr. Bakura-"

"Call me Ryou." Ryou quietly interrupted. Malik shifted beneath the man in attempts to make him more comfortable.

"Right, Ryou. Can you tell me what you were doing last night?" The older detective looked worn out already.

Malik leaned over his shoulder and whispered some words in Ryou's ear. Ryou frowned, his eyes cautiously flitting carefully to his lover, before he nodded slowly. "I was in my room all last night."

"Can you tell us what you were doing?" Sara asked patiently.

"My client is not of liberty to say. What he does during his private life are for him to know, and quite frankly, not for you." Malik interrupted smoothly.

Sara gritted her teeth as Grissom pursed his lips. "It is for us to know if it could help us solve the murder of the late Mr. and Mrs. Taylor." The brunette ground out.

Malik casually raised an eyebrow. "Keep dreaming, darling. Just move on to the next question. You can check the hotel security cameras if you want evidence of Mr. Bakura's claims."

Ryou giggled slightly and nuzzled his cheek lovingly against Malik's shoulder.

"This is not a game, Ryou, and I would appreciate if you take this seriously." Grissom ordered irately.

Malik shrugged and whispered more inaudible words into the man's ear. Ryou nodded slowly, the gears in his mind turning. "I'm sorry, Mr. Grissom. I don't get to see Malik very often, so I like to enjoy my time with him." He flipped his hair away from his warm chocolate eyes, revealing a perfect sad expression. "I didn't mean to ruin your interview."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Please, Ryou, we know what you are trying to do. We've seen cases like you before, and we aren't buying it." She chided.

"My client apologized for his behavior, now get on with the questioning. I personally don't care at all about you, meaning I don't care what you think. The only reason that my client and I are here is because your inane questioning is dragging on." Malik hissed, clutching his fists angrily. "Now if you don't begin on a relevant line of questioning, my client shall be taking his leave."

Grissom cleared his throat, interrupting Sara's retort. "Mr. Bakura, how long have you known Mr. Ishtar?"

Ryou shot a sidelong glance at Malik, who nodded in response. The man gave a small smile. "Since I was sixteen. It wasn't love at first sight, but the course of true love never did run smooth."

"Lysander, _A Midsummer Night's Dream_." The detective pointed out.

"You know your Shakespeare, Mr. Grissom." Ryou replied sweetly, his smile not quite reaching the chocolate eyes. Malik cleared his throat, innocuously urging him to continue. "So I suppose that would be… about eleven years?"

Malik nuzzled the crook of his neck lovingly. "Eleven years, two months, and eighteen days."

Grissom ignored the comment from the lawyer, glancing at his notes with a small frown. "Ryou, what was your life like before you met Mr. Ishtar?"

Malik leaned to his lover's ear eagerly, whispering inaudible phrases into his ears. 'Ryou' suddenly snarled and shoved the other away. "Contrary to what you may believe, I do still have my dignity." He hissed irately. "I refuse to say something that utterly degrading."

It was Sara's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Ah. You must be Bakura. Your friends told us all about you." She shot a short nod to Malik. "About all of you."

Bakura sneered. "Those little traitors? I didn't know they were clever enough to think of something that devious. Blame the nutcases, throw the detectives off their trail and onto ours. Great. Just great."

Malik stood up and tugged angrily on a long lock of hair. "Bakura. Shut up. I've had monkey's that were better clients then you." He hissed angrily, as he dragged Bakura by the hair back over to the chairs.

Bakura growled but returned to a separate seat. The blond rolled his eyes before licking his lips and pulling Bakura back into his lap. The man began to protest, but stopped after one look at his companions face. With a happy sigh, he leaned up against Marik's chest, fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. "Come on, ask the next question. We do have lives, you know."

Sara sighed. "Ryou-"

"Don't call me that. If you must call me anything, call me Mr. Bakura." Bakura snapped irritably, as he removed himself from his contented daze.

The brunette rolled her eyes but complied. "Mr. Bakura. You said that they were incriminating you. Why would they do that?"

Bakura glanced at Marik, who only shrugged. "How should I know?" The blond mouthed, before glaring at the wall.

"Because they hate us. Yugi detests us, Joey thought we were a bad influence on his nun of a sister, Serenity listens only to her brother and Duke, Duke thinks we're annoying pricks, and Mai…" Bakura shook his head disappointedly. "She only looks to save her own skin, no matter the cost. Not that I blame her. Exactly what we would've done in her position. Still." He placed a hand to his heart dramatically. "It burns my ink-black soul to its very core."

"Why does Mr. Muto not like you?" Grissom inquired.

Bakura smirked slyly. "Oh, you mean none of them told you?" He cackled madly, and even Marik risked cracking a grin. "We know all of their secrets. Want me to tell you some of what may have led to the climax last night?"

Grissom and Sara glanced at each other, before Sara slowly nodded. "What do you know?"

Bakura pressed a finger to his chin in mock contemplation. "Where to begin, where to begin? There are so many loose ends that I could tie up with just a few words." His eyes flickered to Marik.

Marik shook his head. "Careful, Bakura. Even _I_ know that homicide cases always have much higher stakes to them. You should know it too."

Bakura raised an eyebrow, but looked back to the officers. He paused for a moment, seeming to consider the effects of his actions. "Joey is affiliated with the underworld. Serenity is not a virgin. Duke was not happy about the reason _why_ Serenity is not a virgin. Yugi loves Tea and has contacts in Japan. Mai loves Tristan. Tea is not a homophobe. Tristan uses 'date rape' drugs." A smirk spread across his pink lips. "C'mon. I'm sure you can connect the dots, officers. It's not too difficult."

Grissom frowned. "Mr. Bakura, what _aren't_ you telling us?"

Bakura gave him a strange smirk. "My dear boy, you don't know a lot, do you? Floundering around looking for pathetic clues. If you want to look for something, look into Tristan and Tea's marriage. That should start this grand ball rolling." His brown eyes flickered strangely in the light. "I can promise you that each and everyone of the people you interviewed today were not telling you everything they know.

Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Including yourself, Mr. Bakura?"

Bakura smirked lazily, before continuing. "It's kinda like that game…" He snapped his fingers impatiently, a word stuck on the tip of his tongue, "Umm, what was it called again? Mystery? Solve? Forensics?"

Marik licked his ear smoothly, causing a shudder to slither up the man's spine. "I believe that you mean _Clue_, my dear."

Bakura gave the Egyptian a grateful peck on the lips, before looking at the detective once more, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Watch the movie, play the game. You'll find that this case is quite similar to theirs. Except, not everyone wants the truth revealed." He straightened his black tie and stood up. "Is that all, Ms. Sidle, Mr. Grissom?"

Grissom nodded, eyes boring holes into Marik's smug smirk. "For now, Mr. Bakura. I refuse to promise you that you will be free to go."

The white-haired man shrugged gave a soft smile. Even his voice seemed to gain a soothing quality. "I know, Mr. Grissom. If you forgot, I have done this before. Just call me when you need us again." He walked out the door, leaving Marik with the two agents.

Marik cracked his neck. "Well, what do you want me to say? I don't like leaving Ryou alone with those malicious idiots."

"Tell us about your past relationships with Mr. Bakura." Sara ordered.

Marik gave a wistful smile as he leaned back, feet clomping on the table and forearms cradling his head. "Bakura. Ryou Bakura." He licked his lips as he looked up at the ceiling. "Bakura is the love of my life. We met when he was 15, and I was 16. And I don't mind telling you, we absolutely loathed each other at first. We were always competing on how we could outsmart the other, who was the better thief, who knew the most ways to skin a cat. It was a terribly amazing competition. Then, when we were 16 and 17, we recognized each other's potential and teamed up to crumble Kaiba corp. and kill Yugi." A dreamy sigh escaped, before a frown pulled at the corner of his lips. "We got caught after three weeks, pleaded insanity, and got our sentence reduced to 27 years in an insane asylum instead of death row. The two of us fell in love after staying there. But Malik and I decided that an insane asylum was not a good place for our love to flourish, so we convinced them to let us out at the 3-year mark. And we've been dating Ryou and Bakura ever since then."

Grissom bit his lip and tapped his pen against the table. "Forgive me for being confused, but how… how _exactly_ did you manage to reduce your sentence by 24 years?"

Marik smirked. "How else? We successfully convinced them we were reformed. It was helped along because after two months of entering the asylum, we began to date, so we were less focused on terrorizing everyone else and more focused on each other. After making out for another sixteen months, I made a deal with the warden. I asked him if we could be released if everyone in the asylum, even the crazy people, agreed that we were reformed from our former ways. They all did with a bit of _persuasion_, and after a year and a half we were released."

Grissom frowned. "You and Mr. Bakura are obviously mentally unstable. You suffer from D.I.D. Your therapists would have to be blind to think that you had been cured from your ailments."

His smirk broadened. "And that's when we realized what great lawyers we would make. I mean, four crazies getting out by pretending to be sane for over a year straight. Malik practically got snapped up into Harvard because they wanted the publicity." He outstretched his arms dramatically, pantomiming the headlines of the newspaper. "'Former Mass-Murderer Malik Ishtar to Join Harvard Law School. Wishes to Make World a Safer Place for Lover, Ryou Bakura'." He cackled gleefully. "It was great. The press ate it up, and we graduated with the highest honors."

Sara looked at him, disgust evident. "So you've ridden the fame for your homicides through your life. What I find particularly interesting is that two murderers are once again somewhat linked to a murder. Does this normally happen?"

The blond shook his head. "Nope. First time we've been linked to a murder since," he stopped to count off on his fingers, "well, since twelve years ago." He wore a satisfied smile. "Those were the good ol' days. When we actually murdered the people we were accused of murdering." His lavender eyes seemed to harden as he turned his now sneering face to the detectives. "If we are done…?"

Grissom shook his head. "Not quite. Care to explain the room arrangements. Why were the homophobes and the gay couple in connecting rooms?"

Marik jadedly twirled a piece of blond hair between his nimble fingers. "You can blame Joey for that one. He didn't want anything to happen to his dear sister." He paused, thinking for a second. "I believe that these are the exact words he used, but don't quote me on this. 'Tristan, Tea, you get the room at the end for your privacy. It's connected to Mai and Serenity, who will be connected to…' Duke started looking really expectant at this point. '…to Bakura and Marik.' Duke demanded why the two 'nutcases', us, were next to his girlfriend. Joey said that it was because he could trust the two _gay_ 'nutcases' and the _married_ couple not to do anything to his sister. He couldn't trust her boyfriend. So the last, unconnected room belonged to bachelors and the boyfriend."

"Mr. Ishtar, do you own a gun?" Sara inquired innocently.

Marik smirked as he leaned back. "Nope. We use-" He stopped, reconsidering his words, "We don't believe in guns. They're the cheap way out. That's why Tristan had one."

"But you do believe in knives." She pointed out, before pulling up a clear gallon-sized bag. In it were nearly a dozen knives, ranging from pocket to kitchen uses. "If you don't remember, let me refresh your memory. There is a metal detector that you have to pass through before you are brought into the examination room. You both got stopped and we found these all on your persons."

The Egyptian shrugged. "If we had wanted to harm you, we would've already done it." He pulled another knife out from beneath the collar of his shirt, a wide smirk dancing across his lips. "See? But I don't want to hurt you because I'd get tons of paperwork complaining about proper etiquette during questionings and other shit like that, so I'm not going to use it."

Grissom held out a hand. "Hand it over. I don't even want to know how you got it past security. And Mr. Ishtar, you must not be that great of a lawyer if you don't know how many years in jail you could get for obstructing justice and assaulting officers."

"Fine." He hissed in annoyance, dropping the knife onto the table. "It's Malik that plays lawyer anyways." He glanced at the walls, glowering at the one-way glass windows. "But I am finished in this stupid room. I am tired of those fools trying to mentally dissect me as if I am part of some mad scientist's bug collection. I had enough of that in that damned asylum." With a final snort, he stood up, and sauntered out to the door. "Kul khara, you bastards."

Sara glared at the door the man had disappeared through, fists clenched angrily. "Why that little… I just want a minute with him Grissom. One minute to sort him out. That's all… With no knives though." She added as an afterthought.

"Sara you are acting like a petulant child. The answer is obviously no. We can't put the case on hold for you to instigate petty fight with a psychopath." Grissom replied shortly, eyes still focused on where Bakura and Marik had been positioned. He tapped chewed on the bottom of his lip thoughtfully. "Did you catch a good glance at both of their left hands?"

Sara frowned as she leaned back into her seat, obviously calling up mental images of the two men. "Yeah… Didn't they both have rings on? Does that mean…"

"It seems like Mr. Bakura and Mr. Ishtar have taken this opportunity to become engaged." He stated.

"Or they could have just now decided to open up after Tristan died. After all, from what we've gathered, he would have raised a fuss if he had known that they were engaged." Sara suggested pensively.

Grissom's eyebrows furrowed together as he toyed with the idea. "It doesn't quite fit. Those two have already been established as meddlers; they like to stir the pot when it dealt with the Taylor's. I doubt they would have been quiet about their engagement."

Sara glowered at the Ishtar's previous seat. "Two of them might have wanted to keep it quiet. After all, not all of them are loud mouthed bastards." She spat scathingly.

Grissom shot her a warning look as he rose from his spot. "However valid your point may be, please refrain from insulting the suspects. I understand that Mr. Ishtar rubs you the wrong way, but get used to it in a non-violent manner, or I am replacing you with Catherine on this case." He called back as he sauntered out of the room, his notes from the session clutched tightly beneath his arm.

Sara crossed her arms, shifting her glare to the blank walls. "Tch. You just don't want a lawsuit from him 'cause I would have won that fight."

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine." A familiar redhead joked as she poked her head through the door.

Sara smiled. "Hey Catherine. Sorry, just one of the suspects manages to grate on my nerves very easily."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you even have suspects." She fluttered a manila folder in the doorway. "Warrick and I got assigned to a case. Jewelry store theft, and the owner was murdered; his throat slit. No fingerprints, broken glass but no blood, no suspicious activity, and the camera was destroyed along with the tapes."

Sara raised her eyebrows. "Wow. When was this?"

"Just yesterday. We think sometime between 4 and 5, but we can't be completely sure because all of the tapes for the day were completely destroyed." Catherine frowned deeply. "The thief has a twisted sense of humor though. Where the surveillance tapes for the day were supposed to be, he left a tape of a couple proposing." She noted Sara's confused look and shrugged. "We don't get it either. One of the items stolen _was_ presumably an engagement ring, but there were also a lot of other items. No leads yet."

The brunette smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find something. No one can leave nothing behind."

Catherine grinned wryly. "Thanks. I gotta go, though. Greg's gonna try to see if we can figure anything out from the tape left behind."

"'Sup, Catherine?" Nick popped his head in beside Catherine's. "Sara, we gotta go. This is the only time we can meet with the Golden Eye's manager. We've also got the green light and a warrant to swing by the Dragon's Lair to verify Ms. Valentine's claims with their security tapes."

* * *

Okay guys, the next chapter may take a bit to come out. I only have about a third of it written (and not very well) and the other two thirds sort-of kind-of planned out. ^-^' heh. Anyways, who do you guys think is the murderer here. I'll give you a hint. The innocent aren't always that innocent. Review please!


	8. Revisiting Lies

Nick was having trouble looking at the flamboyant hotel owner with a straight face. Sara was facing a similar problem.

The feminine man frowned. "_No_, you may not have the tapes. You need a warrant for these types of things." The frown deepened. "I'm not gay, nor am I a transvestite, and I'd appreciate you to stop thinking about those things while I'm around." He noticed their looks of surprise. "_Of course_ I know what you're thinking. And _no_, I'm not paranoid. It's rather obvious. For police officers, you don't hide your expressions well." He sighed, rolling his single eye. "_Yes_, I know that you need the information. _No_, I will not give the security footage you require because it goes against my customer policy."

Sara shot him a confused look. "Mr. Pegasus, we haven't said anything yet."

"I know, Ms. Sidle. But it is rather _obvious_, when two police officers demand a private meeting with me the day after two of my customers are murdered." He began to massage his temples soothingly. "There is going to be so much paperwork to do. Not at all fabulous."

"Mr. Pegasus, please stop the theatrics. We need this information. It could be what we need to solve this case." Nick ordered calmly.

Pegasus sniffed arrogantly. "I'm sorry, officers, but I am afraid that I cannot help you unless you have a warrant. It's bad enough that you have blocked off that section of the hallway. Some of my prime guests are complaining about the accommodations. They may even move to," His face was aghast, "to _Kaiba_-boy's hotel! Can you imagine that? Already Mr. Tsunami has left, I fear that Mr. Underwood and Mr. Raptor may be next! The horror!" Suddenly, he blinked, his eyes widening as Sara reached for her pocket. "Oh! You _do_ have a warrant? I suppose I shall have to show you, won't I?" He took a needy sip of his red wine, before sauntering down a hallway, hips widely swaying to a tune in his own mind.

Sara removed her hand from her pocket, shooting a glance at Nick. He just shrugged and smiled, before trailing after the eccentric man.

Pegasus sighed as he shooed away the two officers between a set of heavily guarded double-doors. "In here. Just tell Roland that Mister Pegasus sent you." He trilled, before frowning irately. "_No_, I don't need to come in here with you. No one would make it this far without my authorization. You _must_ have noticed the guards along the hallway." He blinked in surprise. "You _didn't_? How fabulous; that's the look I was going for." Rolling his eye, he turned around and sauntered down the hallway, taking another sip of the fine wine. With an irate flap of his hand, he finished his one-sided conversation. "You may only have the tapes from 8:30 PM to 8:30 AM on the second floor and the elevator; I am under contract to respect my other customers' privacy as much as humanly possible. Roland will tell me if you ask for anything different, and I would be… _displeased_. Have a good day, Miss Sidle, Mr. Stokes. Get this investigation out of my hotel ASAP."

* * *

Grissom sighed, doing a once over of the crime scene for what seemed like the fifth time. For the fifth time, nothing especially stood out. The good thing was that he had found blood. The bad thing was that it was on three door handles; one to the hallway, one to the bathroom, and one to the connected rooms, leaving no clear trail that the murderer might have taken. The killer hadn't even gone to any lengths to conceal the blood, which should have made it easier. Unfortunately, that was untrue, as the blood kept the oil from fingerprints being set on anything. Wonderful. From what he could tell from the blood prints was that the killer had gone through the trouble of wearing leather or pleather gloves. Which meant almost anyone, including the victims themselves, could have owned them. It was definitely a motley crowd of suspects and victims, and the girls could have had the gloves for when it got cold, and the guys could have had the gloves to try and look cool. He wouldn't have put it past Yugi especially with his what seemed to be leather fetish. Not that he could judge; after all, he himself collected dead bugs.

He was prepared to move onto the bathroom when flash of gold caught his eye as he moved his head. Slowly he crept over to the spot, making sure to keep the gold in focus. Without hesitating, he dipped a pair of sterilized tweezers onto the floor and plucked the thin strand of hair from the blood stained carpet.

Grissom grinned for the first time in hours as he slid the hair into a small plastic bag. "Check. It's your move, blondie."

* * *

"What do you have on the hair?" Grissom asked as he walked into the lab technician's room, interrupting Hodges in the middle of his yawn.

Hodges rolled his eyes slightly, but pulled out a sheet of paper. "Joseph Wheeler. No need to thank me; it was a snap to figure that out. He's been convicted for drug dealing and illegal possession of a gun, but that was when he was 14. You're lucky I was able to sift through everything and find it in such a short amount of time." He glanced at the clock, a smug grin spreading across his mouth. "Four minutes and 23 seconds. That's a new personal best."

Grissom groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We can't keep him on that. Just having hair in the room isn't enough for another questioning. We'd all get hell for it."

Hodges squinted thoughtfully as he looked up at the ceiling. "Hey Gil, where'd you find the hair exactly."

"On a blood stain on the floor about a foot and a half away from the heater. Why?" The detective replied instantly.

Hodges shrugged idly, another smug smirk slowly working its way across his mouth. "Oh, no reason. I just think it's interesting to find a hair in center of a blood puddle. Even more interesting because the hair didn't have a single speck of blood on it."

Grissom's eyes widened in realization before he darted out the door. Hodges stuck his head out behind him. "Your welcome for helping solve your case!" He called as the man disappeared around the corner. The lab tech stepped back into his room, whistling a jaunty tune. "Detective Hodges. I like the sound of that. Constantly saving the day for the rest of the mindless drone. Heh."

* * *

Joey drummed his fingers against the surface of the table irritably, sending suspicious glances around the room every few seconds. His lips were pursed tightly in irritation; the reason possibly being the fact that he had been pulled in for questioning once more while his other friends and acquaintances had been excused back to their hotel.

"What do you think? Anxiety, perhaps?" Sara murmured, watching the edgy young man through the mirrored glass.

"Most likely irritation. Anxiety is possible, but if anything he looks annoyed that he was the only one asked to be questioned again." Grissom replied, looking up from his files. "Do you want to interview him, or me?"

Sara looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Why don't you do it." She continued her reasoning, noticing his raised brow, "I'll look at the crime scene again. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes see different things."

The older man sighed but nodded. "I suppose you're right. It feels like I haven't gotten sleep in years after looking for some lead in that hellishly colored carpet." Sara snickered as he walked towards the interview room. "Check the bathroom and the three boys' room. We just got our warrant cleared there."

The snickers stopped instantly as Sara gaped. "But that'll take years!"

Grissom winked as he opened the metal door. "Make sure you check the carpets." He closed the door, effectively cutting off all of Sara's protests.

Joey stood up, face creased with a frown. "Finally, someone can explain to me why I'm bein' held back. This is unconstitutional!"

"Wrong, Mr. Wheeler." Grissom corrected as he sat in the chair across from Joey. "Take a seat please." The blond sat down warily, keeping his eyes trained to the detective. "Good. Now I'll tell you why you're here." He opened the folder and pulled out the plastic packet with a golden strand of hair. Joey's eyes widened a fraction and Grissom could swear that he saw him get paler. "Tell me what this is, Mr. Wheeler."

Joey swallowed thickly, before shaking off his fear and staring Grissom down evenly. "It's a piece of blond hair, Mr. Grissom." His fingers clenched around the table tightly. "There're two otha people in my group who have blond hair; one's a whore and the other's a proven psychopath! You can't honestly tell me that _I'm_ the first suspect that comes ta your mind for a murder case! That's just wrong; blame the kid from the ghetto, why don't cha."

"You're getting defensive." Grissom stated calmly as he placed the packet flat on the table. "We have this little thing called DNA testing. This is your hair."

"That doesn't mean nothin'." Joey sneered, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair. "So what if it is my hair? Before we got inta that argument, Tristan an' I were friends. Is it illegal ta go into your friend's room now?"

"Not at all." Grissom paused, before sliding the hair over to Joey. "Tell me if you see anything wrong with this hair, Mr. Wheeler."

Joey snatched it up with a dirty look and held it into the light, twisting it this way and that for better inspection. "There's absolutely nothin' wrong wit' my hair, Mr. Grissom." He declared loudly after a moment, before slapping the packet onto the table.

"Exactly." The detective agreed complacently as he placed the hair back into his folder. "Absolutely nothing wrong with it."

Hands curled tightly into irritated fists. "What, did ya think because I come from the ghetto tha' there's somethin' wrong with my hair? Should it be really greasy, or should I have a lot of dandruff, or should I have lice?" Joey's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Stop fucking wit' me and just tell me exactly whatchu want ta say."

Grissom matched him glare for glare easily as he began to speak. "What I'm saying, Mr. Wheeler, is that this strand of hair that has absolutely nothing wrong with it was found on top of a pool of dried blood. You were in the room after the death of the Taylor's and chose not to tell anyone about it. You may be charged with conspiracy in murder."

Joey paled but his mouth tightened stubbornly into a narrowed line. "I wanta lawyer." He ground out, standing up suddenly.

"You'll need one to get out of this, Mr. Wheeler." Grissom replied blankly, steepling his fingers together. "I heard Marik Ishtar has good rates and is an exceptional defense lawyer with high recommendations."

"Go fuck a squirrel, you prick!" Joey snarled before storming out of the room and slamming the door with a loud crash.

* * *

Oh poor silly Joey. You and Grissom just don't seem to get along, now do you? But Grissom is right... why was your hair _on top_ of a blob of dried blood. It seems like someone's keeping secrets and doesn't know how to react when the law starts closing in. The tapes and more, next time on Behind Closed Doors

*And I would like to thank my reviewers oodles for reviewing even though I've taken so long to update. Maybe I'll get the next chapter out sooner ^-^ we can only hope. Please review; it really does motivate me.


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